


Malec: Teach Me How To Live

by Peaceful_Warlock



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), malec - Fandom
Genre: Canon, Cute, Domestic, Fluff, Love, M/M, Malec, Shadowhunters - Freeform, magnus bane/alec lightwood - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 07:38:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10872183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peaceful_Warlock/pseuds/Peaceful_Warlock
Summary: Alec discovers Magnus has become too reliant on his magic and doesn't know how to do basic human tasks.





	1. Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Domesticity, cute conversations, kisses and all that good stuff to follow...yay!

"You know, you use magic for everything." Alec starts, a thoughtful look on his face, watching Magnus summon various elements of their breakfast. "Don't you?"

Magnus briefly looks at his boyfriend with a slightly confused expression then he raises his eyebrows as he makes his point. "Well, I'm just making the most of what I have. It'd be a shame to waste it." He smiles mischievously. "Especially when I can do fun things like this."

With a snap of his fingers, suddenly, Alec finds himself sitting, shirtless on the breakfast bar stool he had come to place himself whilst he watched Magnus 'prepare' breakfast. As he looked down at himself, his expression changed from pensive to unimpressed.

"Hey." He looks pointedly at the warlock who just laughs and looks ridiculously pleased with himself. "Put it back on, it's freezing in here." However, Magnus detects a hint of an amused smile on his lips as he says it.

Magnus just rolls his eyes and sighs. "Fine. Spoil sport." Once Alec is fully clothed again, he hears his boyfriend mutter something at a deliberately audible decibel. "It wouldn't be so cold if you hadn't insisted I turn off the heating to save energy."

Now it's Alec's turn to sigh. "Do you want the planet to die?"

Magnus looks at him as if he's the most adorable being in the universe which he suspects may actually be true and smiles at Alec's childish yet entirely genuine question.

"Well?" Alec persists, looking adorably indignant as he crosses his arms over the worktop.

"Of course not." Magnus manages, still smiling. He leans over the counter from his side so their faces are mere centimeters apart. All it takes is a small kiss on the cheek for Alec to return the smile and when he does, Magnus' heart does a little dance.

The warlock goes back to snapping coffee into appearance and Alec goes back to watching him in wonder and intrigue. "Have you ever just...made a coffee?" Alec asks, genuinely interested but also in an effort to show his boyfriend his disapproval at his reliance on his magical capabilities.

Magnus stops, hand in the air, mid-gesture. He thinks for a moment. "Hm. I don't think so..." He looks surprised at himself as if he didn't expect to come to that embarrassing conclusion. "I've never had to."

Alec looks at him, incredulous, eyebrows almost at his hairline. "What?" His eyebrows lower and another question is now on his mind. "But...you know how to, right?"

Magnus starts re-arranging things on the kitchen countertop, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the question. "Of course." He manages in a less than convincing tone.

Alec shifts slightly to get a better look at his face which is pointed downwards in an attempt to avoid the shadowhunter's inquisitive gaze. "By the angel. The High Warlock of Brooklyn doesn't know how to make a cup of coffee?"

Magnus sighs, sounding a bit sad to hear this out loud. "No, okay? I don't." He turns to look at Alec now, looking defeated. "It's not exactly something they teach you in Warlock school."

Suddenly, Alec looks confused and Magnus regrets what he just said. Before Alec can even ask the question, Magnus cuts in. "And no, there's no such thing as Warlock school." He takes a sip of his magically summoned coffee in a Starbucks mug before realising Alec doesn't have one yet.

Just before he can summon one, he feels Alec's strong grip on his wrist, mid-air.

"How will you ever learn that way?" Alec smiles, obviously a plan in mind. He stands up off the stool so they're at eye-level with each other. Magnus knows what's coming and sighs a little. 

About five minutes later, Alec has finished showing him the basics to coffee making and there are two full mugs on the counter, one slightly cold by now, not that Magnus minds. He's about to take a second sip of his neglected, lukewarm beverage when Alec takes it from him and replaces it with the freshly made drink.

"You may as well have this nice new one since I dragged you away from yours." He reasons.

"But I already started that one." Magnus counters, though really just in admiration of his boyfriend's unrelenting kindness.

Alec thinks for a second then leans forward and takes a sip out of the steaming cup in Magnus' hands. Magnus watches in slight confusion. "There. Now we're even." Alec says as he stands up straight once more, looking satisfied with his solution.

Magnus can’t help but shake his head in complete awe at his beautiful, magnificent boyfriend. He leans back to steady himself on the kitchen counter before he collapses from staring at him for too long.

 


	2. A Dare And Some Dishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec challenges Magnus to abstain from magic but there's still chores to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some incredibly domestic, cute and fluffy good stuff.

 

It's almost 11am and the pair are sat together on the couch talking about how much Magnus relies on his magic, the warlock's feet resting on his boyfriend's lap. They haven't both had a day off like this in what seems like, for Magnus especially, forever. As Magnus desperately tries to justify his magic use, Alec just looks at him, unconvinced. 

"There must be so many things you can't do." Alec explains. 

"But an even more impressive collection of things I _can_ do." Magnus smiles back, looking pleased. 

Alec just shakes his head. "I wonder how long you'd last without your magic." 

Magnus doesn't like where this is going and remains silent for a few seconds in apprehension. Eventually, he speaks. "What are you..." He swings his legs in front of him, off of Alec and sits cross legged on the couch. "...suggesting?" He finishes asking, looking intently at the shadowhunter. 

Alec smiles and Magnus has a pretty good idea of what it means. However, he's not going to let it be known how much it worries him.  

"Let's see, I challenge you to refrain from using any magic until the end of the week." His eyebrows furrow slightly as he rethinks this. "Or, in the event of a life or death situation." He adds with a nod. 

Magnus, not surprised by his boyfriend's challenge, breathes in slowly. "Okay. Fine." It's not fine but he's the High Warlock of Brooklyn and what would it do to his reputation if it was discovered he can't last 5 minutes without using magic? His only option is to go along with the challenge and try to prove Alec, and himself, wrong. 

"Fine." Alec says back, playfully. It drives Magnus crazy when he talks like that and he's pretty sure Alec knows that by the way he's still smirking.  

"Are we starting right now? Or can I get some housework done first?" Magnus remembers he still needs to change the bedsheets, do the dishes and the laundry and prepare some kind of lunch. Tasks that obviously should only be done with magical assistance. 

"What? No." Alec looks mildly shocked at the audacity of Magnus' question. "It starts now. You're just going to have to do it all mundane-style."  

Magnus' chest tightens a little at the thought of actually having to get his hands dirty but a part of him is intrigued to know how long he can last before giving in to his magical impulses. He gets up from the sofa and starts towards the kitchen. "We better get started then." 

Alec gets up too, following. "We?" 

Magnus turns around to face him once he's behind the breakfast bar. "Well, we're a team, aren't we? You're not really going to leave me to wash up all on my own?" He pouts dramatically. "Besides, if you don't supervise me, how do you know I'm not cheating." 

"Okay, okay, I'll help you. I think you'll need it anyway. When was the last time you did the dishes...by hand?" Alec comes to stand with Magnus in the kitchen and rolls up his sleeves. Magnus watches him do this and copies him, pushing up the sleeves of his own shirt. 

"Alexander, I'm not an imbecile. I've lived for centuries, I think I know how to wash a few plates." As he says this, he looks at the stack of dishes that have accumulated and wonders why on Earth he didn't just dispose of them earlier. He swallows, hoping that Alec will take the lead and he can just copy what he does.  

Alec laughs a little and goes to get a dishcloth to dry up with. _Damn._ Magnus thinks, he's just going to have to give this washing up ordeal his best shot. As Alec returns to his side, he looks at Magnus expectantly and the warlock feels his eyes burning into him. In a slight panic, he reaches forward and turns on the tap. That's got to be the first step, right? 

Next, he picks up one of the plates, puts it under the cold water for a few seconds until it looks reasonably clean and then puts it down on the draining board, face up. Then, he looks slowly at Alec to get some confirmation that he's doing it right. But Alec is watching him with a strange expression between confusion, amusement and slight shock. 

He breathes in slowly and Magnus knows he's done something wrong. _Damn it._ "Uh, Magnus?" Alec reaches in front of his boyfriend to turn off the cold tap. "You don't know what you're doing, do you?" 

Magnus sighs. "No." He looks slightly frustrated with himself for letting his ignorance show. _How embarrassing._  

Alec just smiles at him as if he's a small child that's drawn a questionable drawing of something unrecognizable. "Okay, don't worry. Well first, you need _hot_ water." 

"Of course." Magnus turns on what he presumes must be the hot tap and smiles at how simple it is. 

"And soap is quite important, too." Alec squirts some soap into the washing up bowl that's filling up in the sink. "Now, put the dishes into the bowl." He says as he turns off the hot tap. 

Magnus does as he's told then immediately picks one back up out of the hot soapy water to place it on top of the other plate on the draining board. Before he can put it down, Alec catches his wrist and guides it back to the washing up bowl. "Not quite that simple, I'm afraid." 

Magnus sighs again, feeling stupid. "What do you have to do? Leave it in the water for a while?" Alec just laughs bit not maliciously. Magnus can't help but feel slightly proud of making him laugh, even if it is at his own expense.  

"You have to actually wash it yourself." Alec shifts to stand behind the warlock and reaches his arms around his waist to find Magnus' hands resting on the edge of the sink. He lifts them and guides one to the sponge and the other to pick up the plate. He moves their hands together in circular motions to clean the plate and once Magnus gets the hang of it, he lets go. "That's it, now rinse it and stack it on the drying rack." 

After a few minutes, it's all washed and Magnus goes to help Alec dry up the last few things and put them away. He sighs. "Whilst this is no doubt riveting, I could have got this all done in a millisecond."  

"Where's the fun in that?" Alec replies, smiling as he puts away the last mug before walking back over to Magnus and wrapping his long arms around him from behind. He places a kiss on his cheek and buries his face in his boyfriend's neck, inhaling his comforting scent . Magnus smiles, thinking maybe it was worth the extra effort after all.


End file.
